In the short story "Condensed Milk," by Russian author Varlam Shalamov (1907-1982), the protagonist appears to have two main motivations: hunger and revenge.
The protagonist's name is never revealed. He is a prisoner at a Gulag, a Russian forced-labor camp. He is sick from<u> exhaustion and starvation</u>, and emotionally dulled to the <u>lack of empathy and dignity</u> of his condition.
When another prisoner, who is treated much better than the protagonist, offers him a <u>chance to escape</u>, the protagonist almost immediately realizes the whole thing is a <u>tra</u>p. He lies to the man, tells him he agrees with escaping as long as he is brought some condensed milk to eat. <u>At this moment, hunger seems to be the main motivation</u>:
<em>I fell asleep and in my ragged hungry dreams saw Shestakov's can of condensed milk, a monstrous can with sky-blue label.</em>
When he is brought two cans, <u>the protagonist drinks their contents</u> to only then reveal <u>he does not intend to participate in the plan</u>. This where we find out about his need for <u>revenge</u>. He knows Shestakov is a traitor:
<em>It was, of course, a weak, worthless act of vengeance just like all my feelings.</em>
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NOTE: I know the question asks only for two or three sentences, but I found it important to add context to the answer. Feel free to edit and shorten it.
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